The Play-Room

by Gloria Murphy

Mysterious and beautiful Victoria Louise plans a deadly party for the unsuspecting citizens of her town of Haverill, Massachusetts, and prepares a terrible "playroom" as part of the entertainment

Genres: Horror

249 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1988

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nifty little thriller by Murphy, but one with a nasty little edge as well. Unlike most thrillers, where you have to guess where it will go, we know here pretty much right off the bat the villain and the plot, but The Play-Room still managed to keep me rapt. Our antagonist, one Victoria Louise, nee Rosalie, grew up in Bradley, Massachusetts, a small town on the New Hampshire border. Victoria always wanted to be one of the 'in' crowd in high school, but being fat and ugly, they rejected her. Nonetheless, she kept telling her mother that she was part of the pack, and on her 16th birthday, her mom organized a surprise birthday party and invited the 'in' crowd. Well, they humiliated her, giving horrible gag gifts and such.

Flash forward 8 years or so. Victoria, upon learning of her mother's death, and that she got the old house and lots of money, decides it's time for some payback. She spends a year losing weight, getting cosmetic surgery, and now, lean and beautiful, she returns to Bradley as Victoria. Our main protagonist, Rusty, once part of the 'in' high school crowd, now runs his own home renovation business in Bradley, and lives with his younger sister (16 y.o.) who stayed in Bradley to finish her high school when their parents moved to Arizona. He gets a call from Victoria, who wants some work done on her house; it needs lots, but Victoria really wants the 'play-room' done first, and pays for OT.

Now, the 'play-room' in the basement of the house was the site of the surprise birthday party/humiliation; Victoria wants it soundproofed, with a bathroom and wet bar. You know where this will be going, but still, Murphy strings the tale so nicely! First, one Bobby, one of the 'in' crown still in Bradley, goes missing. Well, he is an artist after all! But then others start to go missing as well. Alongside the nasty scheming of Victoria, a budding romance emerges between Rusty and Fae, Bobby's cousin, now a nurse...

Fun stuff by Murphy, who wrote a handful of thrillers in the 80s and 90s. Her work reminds me of S.K. Epperson, which also blurs the boundaries between horror, thriller and romance, usually with some wickedness! 4 playrooms!

[Paula Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woman returns to her hometown for revenge! One by one she lures those who treated her badly as a teenager to her house.

This was twisted and fun, with just a little streak of nastiness to keep it gripping.

I need to read more books by Gloria Murphy.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a sick book! High school revenge 7 years later.

Rosalie/Victoria is transformed by weight loss and plastic surgery and returns to her hometown from NYC after she has been left the family home. She decides to get back at the popular high school crowd that shunned her and acted badly at her Sweet Sixteen party. She’s a deranged women who can’t let go of the past. One by one she lures the group into her home and newly constructed playroom for a little fun. Deep dark secrets are revealed during this little party. This book was listed as a mystery, but there is a lot of horror going on. It would make a great Chiller Thriller movie.